1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to encryption systems and methods for audio data, and more particularly, for complete security for audio encryption of recorded data for transmission, management, and modification or transformation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art includes automatic systems and methods for transcription of medical dictation, including, by way of example, the following:
US Patent Application Publication No. 20080288250 by inventors Renillo, et al. for Real-time transcription system, published Nov. 20, 2008 for a transcription system and method that includes a transcription terminal for recording electronically generated text as units of transcribed text, and a conversion unit for translating the units of ascribed text into a generally accurate transcript of the electronically generated text and converting said transcript into a signal to be transmitted to an authorized receiving unit over a communication link, including a wireless access point for transmitting serial data representing the transcript, and suppression of an automatic network identifier.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20050187766 by inventors Renillo, et al. for Real-time transcription system, published Aug. 25, 2005 for a transcription system and method that includes a transcription terminal for recording spoken words as units of transcribed text, and a conversion unit for translating the units of transcribed text into a generally accurate transcript of the spoken words and converting said transcript into a signal to be transmitted to an authorized receiving unit over a communication link, including a wireless access point for transmitting serial data representing the transcript, and suppression of an automatic network identifier.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20090197573 by inventor Rofougaran for Secure use of a handheld computing unit, published Aug. 6, 2009 for a handheld computing unit including a wireless transceiver and a processing module, which is coupled to detect initiation of the handheld computing unit so that when the initiation is detected, the processing module initiates collection of a user security parameter, receives an input corresponding to the user security parameter, and converts the input into the outbound symbol stream, which is converted into an outbound wireless signal and transmitted; the processing module further converts an inbound symbol stream into a security response, interprets the security response, and when it is favorable, enables use of the handheld computing unit.
Relevant art also includes systems and methods for secure audio transmission and/or communication, including, by way of example, the following:
US Patent Application Publication No. 20030169730 by inventors Narasimhan, et al. for Method and process for signaling, communication and administration of networked objects, published Sep. 11, 2003 for systems and processes for communication of messages between one or more networked objects on circuit data networks, including means for representation of various communication types, including content description and disposition rules, delivery and routing description and rules, conversion and translation descriptions and rules, and methods for interactions and for administration over one or more network types, through one or more communication protocol types, to one or more destination types. The delivery of messages and other communication over various communication protocols in addition to emails are described, as well as methods for administering and managing rules for directing and transforming the messages and communications for purposes of routing or delivery to one or more specific destinations.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20110222688 by inventors Graham, et al. for One vault voice encryption, published Sep. 15, 2011 for secure voice solutions for mobile communication device Blackberry 9000 (BOLD™), providing that rather than making encrypted voice calls through traditional GSM cellular phone calls, voice data is received from the user using a device microphone and built-in media player software; that data is then encrypted and sent as an IP packet; the device then receives as IP packets, encrypted voice communication from the other party in the encrypted call, which in turn are decrypted in the device and then played back on a second media player running on that device. This requires that the device runs two media players simultaneously, in order to in effect, simulate a cellular telephone call, so that PDA-type devices provide for encrypted calls wherein the calls are placed over the Internet, rather than traditional cellular data signals.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20110302408 by inventors McDermott, et al. for Secure communication systems, methods, and devices, published Dec. 11, 2011 for secure communication systems including voice call processing server, user database in communication with the server, a security gateway in communication with the server and the database, wherein the gateway transmits an encrypted signaling key and at least one media key in response to validating a mobile device using configuration data stored in the database, wherein the server tracks call traffic encrypted using the at least one media key, and the traffic being routed through the internet.
US Patent Application Publication No. 20120020475 by inventor Altmann for Mechanism for partial encryption of data streams, published Jan. 26, 2012 for partial encryption of data streams, with methods including receiving a data stream at a data transmitting device, wherein the data stream has content including one or more audio content, video content, and control content; determining one or more content that are to be encrypted; partially encrypting the data stream by encrypting the one or more content, and leaving the other content unencrypted, and transmitting from the data transmitting device, the partially encrypted data stream to a data receiving device.
None of the prior art or relevant art cited or known at the time of the invention addresses the longstanding, unmet need for secure audio data storage, review, transmission, management, and transcription from audio to corresponding text (where appropriate), much less in the rapidly changing environment in any business or industry, in particular but not limited to in law enforcement, legal, and healthcare applications of electronic records (ER), where systems and processes need to be moving toward further efficiency, cost reduction, and paperless systems, all while requiring data privacy and security. In particular, a dramatic increase in the number of mobile devices, especially smartphones and tablet devices, which function substantially like computers, containing data that is at risk of being exposed, simply due to their mobility. Thus, the need for ensuring privacy and security of mobile data is greater than at any other time.